Driving mechanism for vehicles



R. KECK. DRIVING MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

APPLECATION FlLED JULY 23,1918.

Patented Nov. M, 1922.

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Patented Nov. Ml,

vcarena carencias,-V

ROBERT KECK, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE DOUBLE-DRIVE TRUCKCOMPSANY, OFCHICGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

Application led July 23, 1918. Seria1-No. 246,283.

To all whom t may concern.' I Be it known that I,ROBERT'KEC1, a-tcitizenof the. United States, 4and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, andState of llli-- nois, have invented a new and useful Imrovement inDriving Mechanism for Veliicles, of which the following is aSpecification, the rinciple of the invention being herein explained andthe best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle, soas to distinguish it from other inventions.

The present invention, relating, as indicated to combined driving andsteering means for vehicles, is particularly adapte for what arevcommonly termed four-wheel' drive trucks, in which both front and rearwheels of the vehicle are driven from the engine, and in which either offour wheels are steered or only the front wheels, as desired. It iscommon in this type of vehicles,

to transmit the drive from the axle shafts to the wheels by means ofuniversal joints interposed therebetween, with the objection that poweris lost whenever the wheel spindles are not in line with the axles, andwith the further objection that if the wheels are canted slightlyoutward, as is desirable 'to bring the lane of each wheel perpendicularto the sur ace of the road, there is always a slight angularity betweenthe wheel and the driving axle, even when the wheels are parallel withthe direction of movement of the vehicle. This results in continuousloss of power to the wheels, and also in a considerable amount of wearon the universal joints used, causing them to be replaced at frequentintervals.

The present invention is directed to the provision of an improveddriving and steering mechanism for this use, in which the loss of powershall be reduced to a minimum, and which shall'be extremely simple inconstruction and in its operation7 while permitting the completeenclosure of the parts used for this purpose. To the accomplishment ofthe foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, consists of themeans hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed lout in theclaim.

rlhe annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detailcertain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed meansconstituting, however, but one of va rious mechanical forms in which theprinclple of the invention may be used In said annexed drawings F 1g. lis a longitudinal vertical section through my improved driving andsteering mechanism, showing the same in position on an axle; and Fig, 2is a plan view of the same. i

ln Fig. 1 I have shown a shaft or axle 1 which may represent either thefront or rear axle of the vehicle, and which in enclosed in the usual`axle housing or tube 2, which, in this instance, .is provided with anoutwardly extending annular ange 3 a short distance from the outer endof the tube, to which is removably fastened, by means of a flange 4, anenclosing yoke 5. This yoke 5 is constructed to carry a spring seat 6and extends beyond the axle 1 and the j axle housing 2, and is thereprovided with vertically aligned openings 7 in which is mounted a shaft8 adapted to carry a wheel spindle 9 and wheel 10. The shaft 8 iscarried in a plain bearing 11 at its lower end, and in two verticallyaligned anti-friction thrust bearings 12 and 13 at its upper end, eachof these bearings being of the type which will support a load bothaxially and radially, and thus serve both as the ordinary, anti-frictionball bearings and also as thrust bearings. Between the portions of thelshaft 8, which are inserted in these bearings 11, 12 and 13, the shaftis formed with a series of longitudinally extending splines 14, and isin this way keyed to a vertically extending portion 15 of the whee-lspindle, which is of course formed to snugly fit .over the shaft 8 andto be slidable but non-rotatable thereon.

The upper portion 16 of the shaft 8 is of polygonal form, being hereshown as hexagonal;` and upon it is mounted a rod or link 17 whichextends rearwardly from the axle and is intended to be attached to thesteerv mg mechanism, as rotation of this rod 17 and rotatably mountedagainst the outer face of a thrust bearin 13, and is hence not securedto or rotata le with either the shaft 8 or the tubular shaft- 15.

The axis of the shafts 8 and 15 is vertical, but the central plane ofthe wheel spindle 9 and wheel 10 is inclined sli htly from the verticalthe vupper portion o the wheel and spindle being tilted outwardly *awayfrom the driving axle. To compensate for this inclination of the wheelthe bevel ar 18 is formed with its teeth22 cut eper at the radiallyouter portion than at the inner portion, which allows these teeth tomesh with the teeth on the bevel gear 21 as fully as though a standardbevel gear were used and were placed in a vertical plane.

The operation of my improved axle is clearly apparent from the fore oingdescription, the shaft 1 driving t e wheel sto spindle 9 at alltimesthrough the constant mesh bevel gears 19, 21 and 18, irrespective of theangularity between the shaft 1 and vthe spindle 9. The wheel 10 may besteered by rocking the rod-17 either t the right or to the left as it isshown in Fig. 2, which semi-spherical enclosing casings overlap eachother as shown in Fig. 2, and are provided with an oil-tight jointtherebetween, consisting of packing in the formof a felt washer 27. 1nthis way the driving and steering mechanism interposed between the Wheeland the axle may be entirel enclosed and may be run in lubricant, anthis feature,l together with the disposition of the anti-friction thrustbearings 12 and 13, provides a driving and steering mechanism having anextremely small amount of friction, and one that has been found torequire very little attention or repair.

ther modes of applyin of my invention may be employed instead of the oneexplained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed,provided the means stated in the claim or the e uivalent of such statedmeans be em ploye t I therefore particularly point out and distinctlyclaim as my invention In a mechanism of the class described, thecombination of an axle shaft, a pivotally mounted member at right anglesto said shaft and adjacent to one end thereof, a wheel spindle mountedon said member lon the side opposite to said shaft but slightly out ofalignment therewith, a Wheel rotatably mounted on said spindle, a bevelgear rotatably mounted on said member, a second bevel gear mounted onsaid axle shaft, and an irregular bevel gear mounted on said wheel andmeshing with said bevel gear on said member, said irregular bevel gearvhaving its teeth cut deeper at the radially outer portion'than at theinner portion.

Signed by me, this 17 day of July, 1918.

ROBERT KECK..

o the principle

